The City Government of Davao will extend P11 million in financial aid to victims of Typhoon Nina, which forced 380,000 people to abandon Christmas celebrations and flee to evacuation shelters in Catanduanes province and other Bicol areas.

The financial assistance was approved by the City Council following a special session on Thursday.

The session was conducted upon the request of Mayor Inday Sara Duterte to the Sangguniang Panlungsod, which her brother and Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte chairs, so that additional aid could be immediately sent to the victims of typhoon Nina.

In a statement, Mayor Duterte expressed sympathy to the victims of the typhoon.

“Davao City is no stranger to calamities and we understand the distress that the victims of Typhoon Nina are going through this time,” she added.

She said the City Government of Davao has prepared the amount of P11 million, taken from the available disaster funds of the city, as financial aid to areas affected by the typhoon, “with the hope that it may be able to provide relief to the victims.”

The Council approved the mayor’s request to use funds from the city’s five-percent Calamity Fund, of which, 18.614 million remains.

Of the P11 million, Camarines Sur will get P7.47 million, Albay will get P1.3 million, Catanduanes will get P1.06 million and Calapan City in Mindoro Province will get P1.165 million.

The remaining P7.614 million in the city’s Calamity Fund will be reserved for any disaster-related incident in 2016.

The financial assistance will be turned over by the City’s Central Communication and Emergency Response Center Chief, Emmanuel Jaldon to the local government units of the affected areas.

Vice Mayor Duterte said it is only fitting that the remaining calamity funds of the city will be used to help others who are hit by calamities. CIO